The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has decided to allot two out of 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana for Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), under the seat sharing agreement for the upcoming general elections. BRS president and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), on Friday, March 15, decided to allot Nagarkurnool and Hyderabad seats for BSP. BRS said that BSP will decide its candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats. BRS will contest from the remaining 15 seats. The decision came two days after KCR held talks with BSP leaders in Hyderabad.
The BRS chief had discussed seat sharing with BSP national coordinator and Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Gautam, BSP state president RS Praveen Kumar and other leaders after BRS chief Mayawati had given a go ahead for the alliance.
BRS, which is facing a hard time after losing recent Assembly elections and defection of several leaders including three sitting MPs to BJP and Congress, decided to have an alliance with BSP. The decision was made on March 5 in a meeting between KCR and Praveen Kumar.
KCR said that since both parties share the same ideology, they have agreed to work together for the upcoming polls.
BRS has so far announced candidates for nine seats.
In 2019, BRS had bagged nine seats. Three of its sitting MPs last week switched loyalties for BJP and Congress.
BRS had won 39 seats in the 119-member Telangana Assembly. BSP contested Assembly elections on its own but drew a blank.
Praveen Kumar made the seat sharing agreement official with an announcement, while thanking Mayawati and KCR.
“It’s Official now. BSP is going to fight General Elections-2024 in two(2) seats, NagarKurnool (SC) and Hyderabad(Gen) in Telangana. BRS is going to field its candidates in remaining constituencies. Both the parties are going to work together for victory in all the constituencies.
We profusely thank our supreme leader, former CM of UP, hon’ble Behenji Mayawati and former CM of Telangana Sri KCR ji for agreeing to this arrangement to save Telangana and the Constitution in India,” Praveen Kumar said.